After 13 years in the NHL, Tyler Johnson is hanging up his skates.
The center, who won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning, announced his retirement on social media Monday.
“As a short kid from a small town, I saw my chances of playing in the NHL as very slim,” Johnson wrote in an Instagram post. “But my family — my parents, Ken and Debbie, and my grandparents — believed in me when doubt clouded my mind. Their unwavering faith turned that dream into reality.”
An unheralded prospect, Johnson broke into the NHL with the Lightning in 2012 as an undrafted free agent from the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, his hometown team.
He stayed with Tampa Bay until 2021, and was a staple of the perennially-contending Lightning teams of the late 2010s and early 2020s.
He hoisted the cup with the team in 2020 and 2021.
In his post, Johnson said he’ll “never forget” the call he received from then-Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman back in 2012, which he said “changed his life.”
“I’d never set foot in Florida and knew nothing about Tampa, but a gut feeling said it was my path. That instinct led me home,” Johnson wrote.
After leaving Tampa Bay, Johnson went on to play three seasons with the Blackhawks and one with the Bruins, although he only played nine games with Boston.
Johnson tallied a total of 193 goals and 240 assists in the 747 NHL games he played.
His most productive season came with the Lightning in 2014-15, when he posted 29 goals and 43 assists and was named an All-Star, but he also eclipsed the 50-point mark in 2013-14 and in 2017-18.
“Now, after a lifetime devoted to hockey, I’m ready for what’s next. I’m thrilled to focus on starting a family and exploring new paths,” Johnson wrote. “This moment is bittersweet, but I leave the game with no regrets – only gratitude for the rinks, the teammates, the fans, and a sport that will always ignite my soul.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
